What Happened When I Caught This From My Teen (OH NO!)

While everyone was bemoaning the end of Summer, I was sitting at our town pool. I looked around at the crowds, listened to the elderly couple next to me discussing whatever substance was under his toenails (seriously – EWWWWW!) and glanced at my Teenager. He was sullenly next to me, engrossed in the Love Of His Life, his phone. He was also digging his heels in. His father and I had “forced” him to our lovely pool so he could do a few laps. His response: “I don't wanna.”

This was the summer of that terrible condition called the “I Don't Wannas.”

It started with the summer camp he'd picked out (he coughed into his hand “I don't wanna” go), continued as I asked him to play with his sister, and deteriorated into the night as we told him to go to bed. It was the response du jour to our request to take a shower (yes, EPA, that's my house you smell). On vacation, the illness continued at our resort.  We had to "force" him to go to Busch Gardens (WTF?!!!) and getting him to do anything away from his phone was like pulling teeth.  As school started, which he didn't “wanna” go to but the law says he has to, the "I Don't Wannas” was especially acute when I asked the Teen do to his chores. 

I grew tired of it.  There's no way in hell I'm raising a slacker.  Then something weird happened.    

 I caught the "I Don't Wannas"!

When the teenager asked me to make breakfast, I wheezed, “I don't wanna.” When he wanted a ride home from school, I sneezed, I don't wanna.” And when he needed a ride and the cash to get a friend a gift card, well, you get the idea.

“But my chores are physical things,” he argued. “Your responsibilities as a Mom aren’t.” 

REALLY?  Here's how I responded:

“You think that hauling my ass out on a 100 degree day to pick you up from Marching Band practice isn't physical? The sweat pouring down my back suggested otherwise. You think going to the grocery store and lifting cases of seltzer (the only thing the Teen drinks) into the car and into the garage doesn't hurt my back? And you think waiting in line at Staples for hours after school started to get the supplies you 'forgot” to tell me about, make my stomach clench and feet hurt?”  I refrained from discussing the 27 hours of labor it took to birth the nervy kid.

“I'm not being vindictive, but if we don't find a cure for this bout of 'The I Don't Wannas,' I think your life is going to be radically different. 

Family members do things for each other, whether they want to or not. That's kind of one of the unwritten rule of Love.”

 

The Teen mulled this over for a bit.  His eyes closed as he thought about the implications of what I was saying.

And, miracle of miracles, he was cured! 

Not completely. He is a Teen, after all, and he still complains, but one look from me and he does what he has to. I don't see a relapse of the “I Don't Wannas” happening soon. He's cured.

~~~

Thanks for reading!   Come back soon when I'll have a tip to help you with...something...I love tips!

9 Fascinating Tidbits About Germs, Handwashing & Keeping Your Family Healthy

Unlike some mothers, I am not a germophobe. I mean, kids get sick. Period. And they unwittingly spread germs. Period. In all likelihood, their father brings back more germs from his commute into the big city (subways – ewwww) than the children. Still, I am not a fan of my kids being sick. Right now, both are complaining of sore throats, although I always wonder if my younger one is telling the truth. Every time I complain of a menopausal hot flash, she claims she's having one, too. 

Being sick is no fun for anyone...

I did, however, perk up when I saw some posters about germs posted in one of the classrooms at the school where I work. 

 Let me share with you some fascinating stats about germs from the website itsasnap.org:

• Nearly 22 million school days are lost yearly due to the common cold (not the flu – COLDS).
  
  
• Frequent handwashing and refraining from sharing items like cups, towels, and utensils with an infected person should decrease the spread of viruses to other people.
• More than two-thirds (or 32 million) school-aged kids (ages 5 to 17 years) in the United States missed school in the past 12 months due to illness or injury.
• Some illnesses can live on places like doorknobs for up to two hours.
• Students don't clean their hands as often as they should or well enough. In one study, only 58% of female and 48% of male middle and high school students washed their hands after using the bathroom. Of these, only 33% of the females and 8% of the males used soap. Ewwww....
• Adults need to clean their hands better, too. In one study, 92% SAID they always wash their hands in public bathrooms, but only 77% were seen doing so. 
  
  

And here are some more stats from the website microbeworld.org:

- Guys are doing better at washing their hands than they have in the past. 77% of men washed their hands publicly in 2010 as compared to 66% in 2007.

- But men could do better at handwashing in sporting venues. Atlanta's Turner Field stadium had the worst percentage for men in 2010 at only 65% of men doing it. That's better, however, than just 57% in 2007. Turner Field did have the best stats for women among the sporting venues with 98% of women there washing their hands.

- Women are washing their hands more and more in public restrooms with a jump from 88% in 2007 to 93% in 2010.

I think the message here is that we really should be washing our hands more than we already are as a first line of defense against getting sick.


While soap and water is always the best, most of us hang those little bottles of hand sanitizer on our kids' backpacks; honestly, I'm just not sure my wee folk are using them all the time.

So here's what I do to minimize the chances of the family getting sick:

- Have hand sanitizer front and center when people walk into the house. I keep a big bottle of it on a cabinet and as soon as the kids or hubby walk in, they go for it.

- Always have some handy in the car or in a purse. I keep it on my purse and try to have the kids use it when they get in the car,especially after my daughter gets out of gymnastics (those mats can be NASTY). Wipes are fine, but I learned the hard way that they freeze in the winter.

- If I know someone who is sick has been in my car, I'll Lysol the car after they've been in it.

- Similarly, if a person who has been sick has been in the house, I'll wipe down doorknobs, faucets, light switches, etc. with a sanitizing wipe.

- I use hand sanitizer after using my credit card in a store. Those pens you sign with are teaming with bacteria!

- If possible, I'll use my own pen in public. Pens, again, harbor germs and you never know who has sneezed into their hands and then written something.

- Remind the family to use moisturizer on their hands at night. All that handwashing and sanitizing can dry out skin. Cracks invite germs into the body. Moisturizing stops that.

- Drink plenty of water. Flushing germs and keeping the mucous membranes hydrated during the dry winter months is essential in helping those parts of the body eliminate germs that do get into the body.

I'm not afraid of germs. I'm just vigilant about them. What methods do you take to keep your family healthy? I'd love to know!

Please note that I am not a doctor, healhcare professional or anything medical-related.  I'm just a humble mom, passing on advice that works for me.  

Gaucher Disease Isn't Getting THIS Kid Down! Meet Allie

The relationship started in preschool with an invitation, “Wanna play?” Allie, a human dynamo with an incredible joi de vivre, started playing with my daughter and, fast forward five years, they still enjoy each others company. It doesn’t matter to either child that Allie has Gaucher disease.

Allie with one of her many friends.

Gaucher Disease results from a deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase in the body and is caused by a genetic mutation received from both parents (source: www.gaucherdisease.org), most commonly Jewish people of Eastern and Central European descent (Ashkenazi). This deficit leads to the accumulation of certain lipids in Gaucher cells. When the cells become too large, they prevent certain organs, like the liver and spleen, from working as they should. According to mayoclinic.org, “the fatty substances associated with Gaucher’s disease also can build up in bone tissue. This weakens the bone and increases the risk of fractures.” If the bone marrow is affected, it interferes with blood clotting. The disease runs the gamut from presenting no outward symptoms to skeletal problems, liver or spleen damage, bleeding, severe disability and death.


After years of infertility testing, Allie’s parents knew that they were both carriers, but with only a 25 percent chance of having a child with the disease and medications readily available, they took a chance and started a family. Still, when Allie went to the doctor for a suspected urinary tract infection and the doctor mentioned that she had an enlarged spleen (one of the symptoms), Allie’s mother, Elisa, perked up. Elisa told the doctor that both she and her husband were Gaucher carriers. Subsequent tests confirmed the diagnosis.

Gaucher disease, especially the type Allie has (Type 1) is treatable with medications effective at relieving some of the symptoms and even reversing some of the effects.

Gaucher disease, especially the type Allie has (Type 1) is treatable with medications effective at relieving some of the symptoms and even reversing some of the effects. While the initial treatments were long and the placing of a permanent port in her side was, as her mother says, “traumatic” for the youngster, thankfully, Allie only has to receive two 90-minute treatments twice a month. Nurses come to the house to administer her medication and Elisa says Allie’s reaction when she’s told she has to receive her treatment is “Really? Again?” To her, it’s no big deal.

 
And that’s what Elisa and her husband are letting people know. The family has adopted a positive attitude and makes sure Allie doesn’t receive any special attention, especially from her two older brothers who have tested negative for Gaucher’s. The radiant, little dynamo remains active and, in fact, doctors have explained that being physically active helps the condition. The only thing that’s different for Allie is that sometimes she wears a pad over her port to protect it – otherwise, life goes on.



Allie is very open about having Gaucher’s, has done presentations at school about it and actively participates in fundraisers. She recently met another little girl in the area who was just recently diagnosed with the disease and the two became fast friends. Elisa hopes the two can grow up together and share their experiences.

To her, it’s no big deal.

So what’s the prognosis? Gaucher’s is a lifelong condition and the now-third grader wilrl always be monitored and have follow-up bone density tests. She has earned her mother’s admiration by her proactive approach to the condition. Other than that, Elisa emphasizes that she’s “just Allie, a fun, energetic kid” not “Allie, who has Gaucher’s disease.” And to my daughter, she’s just “Allie, my friend.”

And to my daughter, she’s just “Allie, my friend.”   ♥

For more information, visit http://www.gaucherdisease.org.

~~


Please note:  this article first appeared on www.thegeekparent.com.

Ebola? Enterovirus? How Can I Protect My Kids?

How CAN I protect my kids from enterovirus and ebola?!

 

Just as I was starting to get nervous about another bad winter here in the Northeast and getting my emergency supplies ready, now my area is getting hit with the enterovirus which has killed at least four children with a possible ebola epidemic lurking! HOW CAN I PROTECT MY KIDS?

Honestly, while ebola is so far only in Texas, my first concern is the enterovirus (EV-D68) which has, in fact, hit my state and which is causing our elementary school nurse to send kids home at the first sniffle. The enterovirus starts out like a common cold and can leave patients gasping for breath in a matter of hours (source: www.vanguardmedicalgroup.com). It's transmitted through bodily fluids when someone who is infected coughs, sneezes on, or touches another person or surface. There's no treatment for the virus itself and, according to my pediatrician, a doctor will treat the symptoms of the enterovirus which eventually clears up on its own. So what am I doing for my kids?

• They both have Purell on their backpacks which they use as soon as they get out of school and, in Lily's case, gymnastics.
• I'm reminding them to wash their hands constantly, especially my son, who is a nail biter.
• Obviously, they are to avoid hugging or sharing food with anyone who is sick.
• I'm constantly disinfecting frequently touched surfaces like light switches, door knobs, etc. Can you say Lysol?

The good news about EV-D68 is that according to the Centers For Disease Control (www.cdc.gov), enterovirus cases are expected to decrease as we get deeper into Fall. Here's a great graphic from the CDC on how you can keep your child from getting and spreading the enterovirus:

What a great graphic about the enterovirus!

Now, as for ebola, while the government is trying to avoid public panic, I'm less concerned about it until it hits my state. Still, I love this graphic which was posted on Twitter by Texas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson who is the first registered nurse in Congress: 

Not sure I believe the bottom part, but here are the facts about ebola.

So how can I protect my kids from this stuff? By not panicking, taking whatever sensible measures I can (like reminding them to wash their hands and disinfecting common objects in the house), and praying. Sometimes, that's all a parent can do. 

~~

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ParentingWithCancer.com – An Invaluable Site If You're A Parent Who Has Cancer

Photo By Daniel Danzico

“You have cancer.” Those are words no one wants to hear, let alone a parent with small children. Yet, Jen Singer heard those words when she was diagnosed with stage three non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2007. This mother of two young sons tried to steer her kids through her rounds of chemotherapy and radiation while looking for a comprehensive reference place for parents to find helpful information. When she couldn't find either books or a website that provided what she was looking for, she swore that if she made it to remission, she would start such a site.

That's how ParentingWithCancer.com came to be. It's “the place where moms and dads can go to find out how to tell their children the words they never thought they’d have to say, 'I have cancer.'” It discusses the initial diagnosis, the emotions the family will deal with, treatments the patient may face, and life changes that will need to be made. The site provides a safe place where people can share their stories and seeks to reassure parents and kids going through this ordeal that you are not alone.

Ms. Singer's website contains several sections, among them:

• A Parent's Section, which tells the personal stories of parents who had cancer and how they dealt with having a family and navigating the illness.
• A Spouses & Caregivers' Section, with even more personal stories about cancer patients and their loved ones. I especially liked the posting on Why Protecting Your Kids From Your Cancer Can Hurt Them.
• A section For Children, which contains postings like My Parent Had Cancer And It Really Sucked and When Mom Or Dad Has Cancer

The site also contains a Reference page of invaluable resources you may not find anywhere else.

ParentingWithCancer.com tackles conversations you might not want to have, but once you have cancer, will need to. It helps patients face, head on, topics that may appear taboo and provides courage and guidance when those topics need to be addressed. Ms. Singer's site is invaluable to anyone facing a diagnosis of cancer and their loved ones as well. Check it out, bookmark it, and then pass it along to someone who might need it. 

Note:  This article first appeared on www.thegeekparent.com.